PART 3 – Government Body Endorsement (GBE) regulations

In Parts 1 and 2 we looked at the criteria for qualifying under the GBE regulations. In Part 3 we will be going through the Elite Significant Contribution (ESC) requirements.

Where a player does not meet the 15 points requirement, he may be granted a GBE as an ESC Player. These guidelines came in after BREXIT to govern the eligibility of international footballers seeking UK entry via the International Sportsperson visa. The anticipated shrinkage of the player pool, a direct consequence of the exclusion of EU nationals from automatic eligibility in England, necessitated a fundamental overhaul of the admittance criteria.

As the name suggests, eligibility for selection demands exceptional young footballers exhibiting remarkable promise and possessing the exceptional skill set to meaningfully elevate the standard of English football.

In order to be considered for a GBE as an ESC, the club needs to provide evidence to the FA’s satisfaction that the player is an “elite” player, and will make a significant contribution to the sport.

While FA guidelines on GBE/ESC are periodically updated, the FA expects as a minimum that during what is known as the “ESC Player Reference Period” the player satisfies at least one of the following criteria.

The player must have:

1️⃣ Played in at least one Youth Competitive International Match for a National Association ranked in the top 50 places in the Aggregated FIFA World Rankings;

2️⃣ Played in at least five Youth Competitive International Matches for a National Association ranked outside the top 50 places in the Aggregated FIFA World Rankings;

3️⃣ Played in at least one Continental Youth Competition Match;

4️⃣ Played in at least five Domestic Youth Competition Matches;

5️⃣ Played in at least one Senior Competitive International Match for a National Association ranked in the top 50 places in the Aggregated FIFA World Rankings;

6️⃣ Played in at least five Senior Competitive International Matches for a National Association ranked outside the top 50 places in the Aggregated FIFA World Rankings;

7️⃣ Played in at least one match in a Continental Competition;

8️⃣ Played in at least five Domestic Senior Competition Matches.

ESC spaces are limited. Clubs are granted a certain number of spaces based on the league they partake in. Premier League and Championship clubs usually have four spaces a season, while League 1 and League 2 clubs are allocated two spaces.

The GBE process is quite complex. I have been approached by clubs who still do not fully understand it and question whether a player (they have their eyes on) will be able to obtain a work permit to play in England. This post is to (hopefully) help shed some light on the process, however, it is still a case by case decision and must be approved by the FA before it’s a done deal.

Ref: The FA


To enjoy the full benefit of this post and some interesting comments, you can also view it on LinkedIn:

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